Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-11-05
THE DISCHARGE At CARQUINEZ
STRAITS.

A few days ago the REcoRD-U UNION ex-
pressed its concurrence with the opinion OF
the Contra Costa Gazette that the COM
plant is unfounded that wharf building in
the Straits of Carquinez menaces the ca
pacity of the channel to discharge the
waters impelled from Suisun Bay. The
reasons then advanced were confined to a
simple recital of facts, that at the highest
| floods no difficulty has ever been noticeable
at the straits, and that the building OF
wharves along the shores has never affected
the channel depth or the outgo Of the
| waters. 1t was also advanced that the ex-
preston of fears was probably born of I'M
warranted timidity on the part of San
Francisco, some Of whose merchants as
sumo that her commerce is to be endan-
gered by the rivalry of Port Costa. But
there are other reasons related to these
considerations, but in fact stronger, why
the current is not likely to be checked in
in the straits, aside from the fact that any
narrowing by piling for wharves, if it af-
fected the channel at all, would tend to in
crease the velocity Of the current. What
results then is well known; the discharge
capacity, where there is impelling force, is
increased in a ratio greatly in excess OF
the proportion Of augmented velocity. The
enlargement of a channel with declivity, is
attended always with loss Of impulsion,
while its narrowing not only augments its
momentum, but, as already said, greatly
increases the discharge. But aside from this
consideration, which it is not the purpose
to now discuss, there are other facts. The
high-tide level of the Bay of San Fran
cisco is little higher than that of San
Fable Bay above, and the high-tide level
of San Pablo Bay is a little higher than that
of Suisun Bay. The tide level of the
Straits of Carquinez is higher than
the mouth of The San Joaquin and
Sacramento rivers. When, therefore
the tide meets the flood waters of the
rivers, the flood tides of the latter must be
affected in their lower courses. The time
was when this influence was felt as far up
the Sacramento river as this city. Now,
if the Straits of Carquinez were actually
the mouth of river discharging into a
passive reservoir, one without tides, then
to place Instructions in the channel, such
as extended wharves, ETC., would tend to
back the water up; that is, if the straits had
not sufficient capacity to discharge the
waters emptying into the reservoir
above them, wharves built into the
straits would reduce the flow of the
water; but the fact is that the food
tide of Suisun Bay would be higher, if the
Straits of Carquinez were wider. When
the tide goes out, the tidal reservoir of
Suisun Bay is low and its level marks the
low tide Now, if the straits were mar
rover than now, there would be less water
flow into Suisun Bay while the tide was
rising. The tide level of Suisun Bay
would therefore be lower. But since the
rivers would compensate for the absence of
tide, and since the rivers have absolutely
no discharge through Carquinez straits
during high tide, the discharge capacity of
Carquinez straits has no influence upon the
flood registers of the rivers.